CHIWETEL Ejiofor is one of Britain’s leading actors, who has starred in some of the most important films of recent times.
The actor made headlines when it was revealed that he would direct the Netflix movie Rob Peace, which follows a Yale uni student who battles to free himself from economic struggles and the reality of his home life.
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London living
Chiwetel was born on July 10, 1977 in Forest Gate, London to a Nigerian family of Igbo descent.
His father, Arinze, was a doctor and his mother, Obiajulu, was a pharmacist.
However, when they family went to Nigeria for a wedding in 1988 they were involved with a head-on crash with a lorry.
Sadly, his father passed away from his injuries and Chiwetel was left with permanent scars on his face.
Chiwetel threw himself into theatre and began acting in Shakespeare plays at school, years before he would receive rave reviews for his portrayal of Othello.
He joined the National Youth Theatre and graduated to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Chiwetel decided to leave education though when he was cast in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad in 1997.
Dramatic arts
Chiwetel had his first leading role in Jeremy Cameron’s It Was an Accident in 2000 and went on to star in Love Actually, as Peter who marries Keira Knightley’s character Juliet.
He showed his versatility as an actor in Dirty Pretty Things in 2002, where he played the lead role alongside Amelie’s Audrey Tautau.
Leter, he received acclaim for his role as a drag queen named Lola in the 2005 film Kinky Boots, which featured songs composed by Cyndi Lauper.
Chiwetel’s work earned him an OBE in 2008, five years before he would be introduced to international audiences with Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave.
Chiwetel played the lead role in the film, based on a memoir written by Soloman Northup, and he was nominated for an academy award for his performance.
In 2019, he played Scar in the remake of The Lion King which he said felt was similar to his previous Shakespearean roles.
The star is very private in his personal life and has not revealed whether he is in a relationship.
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Directorial debut
Chiwetel made his directorial debut with The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind which was adapted from a memoir by William Kamkwamba.
The film was well received and got him noticed by actor and producer Antoine Fuqua and his wife Lela.
The pair chose Chiwetel to direct and star in the 2024 film Rob Peace, which was based on the biography The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.
Rob Peace follows the life of its titular character as he turns to drug dealing in order to get his father out of jail.
The film had a limited theatre release, but will officially debut on Netflix on November 11, 2024.